Trivia Database

Question 1: Which Bronze Age culture on the Iberian Peninsula is noted for rich hoards of gold jewelry, including the Treasure of Villena?

Correct Answer: El Argar

Incorrect Answers: Tartessos, Bell Beaker, Lusitanians

Explanation: El Argar was a southeastern Iberian Bronze Age culture associated with advanced metallurgy and wealthy hoards. The Treasure of Villena is commonly linked to the Argaric cultural sphere. Tartessos dates later (Early Iron Age), the Bell Beaker phenomenon is earlier and pan-European rather than a single Iberian culture, and the Lusitanians were an Iron Age people.

Difficulty: medium

Question 2: Which fruit has tiny seeds on its outer surface?

Correct Answer: Strawberry

Incorrect Answers: Banana, Cherry, Peach

Explanation: Strawberries have noticeable seeds on the outside. In contrast, bananas are botanically berries but lack external seeds, and cherries and peaches are drupes with a single pit.

Difficulty: easy

Question 3: What instrument is most associated with the music genre of reggae?

Correct Answer: Steel Drum

Incorrect Answers: Violin, Trumpet, Electric Guitar

Explanation: While reggae features a variety of instruments, the steel drum is iconic in Caribbean music, including reggae, originating from Trinidad and Tobago.

Difficulty: easy

Question 4: Which ancient civilization widely used standardized cylinder seals rolled on wet clay to authenticate goods and documents in the 3rd millennium BCE?

Correct Answer: Sumerians

Incorrect Answers: Minoans, Egyptians, Hittites

Explanation: The Sumerians in Mesopotamia extensively used standardized cylinder seals during the 3rd millennium BCE. In contrast, the Minoans and Hittites adopted different sealing practices later, and Egyptians primarily used stamp seals and other marking methods.

Difficulty: medium

Question 5: Which bird is known to dance by stamping its feet on lawns to bring hidden worms to the surface?

Correct Answer: Robin

Incorrect Answers: Kingfisher, Swan, Falcon

Explanation: Robins often use a foot-trembling dance on grass to flush out worms, a common backyard behavior. Kingfishers hunt fish, swans graze plants, and falcons pursue fast-moving prey.

Difficulty: easy

Question 6: What is the mathematical term for a number that is equal to the sum of its own proper divisors, excluding itself?

Correct Answer: Perfect number

Incorrect Answers: Prime number, Abundant number, Deficient number

Explanation: A perfect number, such as 6 or 28, equals the sum of its proper divisors (e.g., 1+2+3=6), a concept from number theory. The distractors are related number classifications but define different properties, like primes having no divisors other than 1 and themselves.

Difficulty: hard

Question 7: In which holiday do people carve pumpkins?

Correct Answer: Halloween

Incorrect Answers: Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving

Explanation: Halloween traditionally involves carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns; the other holidays do not feature this custom as a primary activity.

Difficulty: easy

Question 8: What ancient civilization built the city of Petra, famous for its rock-cut architecture?

Correct Answer: Nabataeans

Incorrect Answers: Greeks, Romans, Egyptians

Explanation: The Nabataeans were an ancient Arab people who carved the city of Petra into rose-red cliffs in what is now Jordan around the 1st century. The distractors are other ancient civilizations that had architectural achievements but did not build Petra.

Difficulty: medium

Question 9: In the context of historical mapmaking, what term describes the process of representing the Earth's spherical surface on a flat map?

Correct Answer: Projection

Incorrect Answers: Polygon, Coordinate, Grid

Explanation: Map projection is the method used to depict the Earth's curved surface onto a flat map, often resulting in distortions. 'Polygon' and 'coordinate' refer to shapes and reference points, not the process of mapping itself.

Difficulty: hard

Question 10: Which 20th-century archaeological excavation first identified the Hittite capital and confirmed the scale of their Bronze Age empire?

Correct Answer: Hattusa (near Boğazkale) in central Turkey

Incorrect Answers: Knossos on Crete, The Royal Tombs of Ur, The citadel of Mycenae

Explanation: Excavations at Hattusa in central Turkey uncovered the Hittite capital and extensive archives, confirming their status as a major Near Eastern power. Knossos, Ur, and Mycenae are associated with other civilizations.

Difficulty: medium